Nen
by DaynaJD
Summary: Rodney didn’t like kids. So why the hell was he sitting in the infirmary with a small child curled up next to him who would not relinquish his hand? Something I've been working on for a while. Please review. Complete!
1. Chapter 1

Prologue ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The woman barely had time to shove the girl into the hole and throw a blanket over her before the Wraith soldier stomped into the room. The woman's eyes lit with fear as the Wraith took a step forward and slammed its hand to her chest. She screamed as the Wraith fed, draining her life's energy from her body. The scream abruptly stopped seconds before the woman fell lifeless to the floor.

Chapter 1 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rodney stepped around yet another husk. He tried, but failed, not to look down at it. This was the worst culling he had ever seen. The Wraith hadn't even left survivors this time. They were getting so desperate that they were feeding in the streets of the villages. It disgusted and irritated him because he could do nothing about it. With a sigh, he ducked into a hut in hopes of avoiding more death.

No such luck.

The corpse on the dirt floor was a stark reminder that he could not escape death in the Pegasus Galaxy. Her face, if it was a woman, was contorted in eternal pain and suffering. Her hands were stretched out to defend herself from her attacker. Obviously, she hadn't been successful.

Rodney up-righted a chair and sat heavily. He cradled his head in his hands and sighed deeply. He was an astrophysicist, damn it. Death and destruction were not supposed to be on his list of things to deal with daily. Even after more than a year, he was still unsettled by the death around him. He hoped he never found it commonplace.

An unexpected sound brought him out of his reverie. At first he thought it was his imagination playing tricks on him. But he heard it again: the distinct sound of sniffling. He stood slowly and looked around the room. A slight movement under a pile of blankets in the corner catch his eye.

"What the…?" he whispered as he slowly drew his side arm, hoping he wouldn't have to use it. He approached the blanket slowly with his gun held out in front. He peeled back the corner to find big green puppy-dog eyes wet with big fat tears staring back at him.

Rodney dropped the blanket corner and the gun at the same time. He looked at the blanket in complete shock.

"Sheppard," he said into his radio, never taking his eyes from the blanket.

"What, McKay?"

"I think you'd better come to this hut I'm in," he paused. "I found something."

"Wraith?"

"If it was a Wraith, would I be radioing you about it? Please, Colonel," Rodney retorted. Of all the stupid questions Sheppard could have asked.

"On my way," Sheppard confirmed after a moment.

Rodney took a deep breath. "It's just a child." He grabbed the blanket and pulled it away to reveal a small girl tucked in an impossibly tiny space. Her eyes were puffy and her lips were trembling. Her clothes and hair were filthy and there was the unmistakable smell of urine. Rodney wondered how long she'd been in the hole. Probably since the Wraith attack who knew how many days ago.

"Hello," he tried, realizing it was a pretty lame way to start. She just stared at him. Rodney hoped she wasn't mute, or worst, completely dumbstruck.

He knelt down. "Want to come out of there?" he asked as he reached out to her. She shied away and backed farther into the hole. She looked at him with terror in her eyes and Rodney couldn't help feeling bad for the kid.

He rocked back on his heels. He needed to think and he thought better with food. As he pulled out a Power Bar®, the thought hit him. He cracked open the foil and broke off a piece, which he offered to the girl. She leaned forward a little and sniffed at it before a grubby little hand shot out and grabbed the piece from Rodney. She ate as if it was the last morsel of food she might ever have. Rodney frowned at her. It was a pathetic site.

"You can have some more. You just have to come out of there." He offered his hand again. She hesitated before that grubby hand came out again and latched on to his hand as if she'd never let go. Her eyes darted this way and that like a skittish animal before she hesitantly crawled out of her hole.

Once she was out of the hole and standing, Rodney realized she was older than he originally thought, although certainly not older than 7 or 8. She was taller than he thought would be possible given the size of the hole, with the top of her head resting at about his lowest rib. But she was skinny in a sickly way. She clutched at his hand as she looked slowly around the room. Her eyes stopped on the dried husk. She took a step forward and knelt and placed her other hand on the woman's forehead.

She rose when Sheppard entered the room. She eyed him wearily as she took two steps back so that Rodney stood between her and Sheppard. Sheppard looked up to Rodney, his eyes wide with questions.

"A kid?"

"Your powers of observation never cease to amaze me," Rodney snipped back. "What are we going to do about it?"

Sheppard ran a hand through his hair. "We'll take her back to Atlantis, I guess." He knelt down in front of the girl. She clutched at Rodney's hand tighter and shuffled closer to him, practically hiding behind him. Sheppard reached out to her, but she recoiled away. Her other hand darted up to grip at Rodney's wrist. Sheppard withdrew his hand with a reluctant sigh.

"Maybe Teyla will have better luck."

"Maybe," Rodney replied. He hoped she would. The kid smelled.

It only took Teyla a few moments to show up after Sheppard radioed her. She eyed Rodney then the child, her surprise clearly etched in her eyebrow raise.

"She is the only survivor." It wasn't a question, but Rodney nodded anyway. Teyla took a deep breath before she knelt before the girl. The girl watched, obviously curious, but she did not move from behind Rodney.

"I am Teyla Emmagen," she introduced herself. "This is Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard and Doctor Rodney McKay," she pointed to each man in turn. The girl followed Teyla's finger with her eyes, but did not otherwise move.

"What is your name?" Teyla asked sweetly. The girl just looked at her. Sheppard sighed.

"Let's get her back to Atlantis and have Beckett take a look at her," he stated. "Maybe Heightmeyer, too," he added as an after thought.

Rodney was losing feeling in his hand where she clutched at him. Surprisingly, he didn't really mind. Well, he hardly minded…okay, he was silently panicking that he would never have feeling in that hand again, but he decided to keep his fears to himself. He did have _some_ filters.

Teyla extended her hand to the child. When the girl did not relinquish her hold on Rodney, Teyla sighed and stood.

"I suppose you will have to bring her to the Stargate, Doctor McKay."

"Looks like I don't have much of a choice, do I? Unless I can somehow pry her off of me," he grumbled. A burning pain shot up Rodney's arm. Rodney jumped and did _not_ scream and looked at the girl. She was looking back up at him with her big doe eyes and her trembling bottom lip. She didn't need to say anything for Rodney to get the message: "Please don't leave me."

He sighed, his resolve softening. "All right, you can hold my hand, but no fingernails," he compromised. The pain immediately stopped as the girl relaxed her grip.

Rodney regarded her for moment. She stared back at him with puffy green eyes that flashed with fear and panic and idolization toward him. There was something else in her eyes as well, something calculating and determined. It was a moment of relief for Rodney. The girl didn't look stupid, just scared, and she seemed to understand everything that was said so far. That, at least, was a good thing. Rodney hoped it was a good thing.

"Let's go," Sheppard announced. "There's nothing else here. Ronon," he said into his radio as he turned away, "meet us at the Stargate. We're going home." He walked out of the hut without looking back. Teyla glanced at Rodney over her shoulder with sympathy as she followed Sheppard. Rodney sighed loudly. Why the hell did he always get stuck with the kids? He started to follow, but the girl held back.

"Do you want to be left behind?" Rodney asked a little more harshly than he intended. The girl flinched and her eyes started to tear, but she managed to shake her head. She followed Rodney to the threshold where she stopped again. She looked back into the hut as the tears poured down her face. Rodney never would have guessed that one little girl could cry so much.

Very slowly the girl released Rodney's hand and took a step back into the hut. She looked over her shoulder as if Rodney might suddenly disappear.

"What are you doing?" he demanded. "I thought you wanted to come with us." She hesitantly nodded her head before she turned back to the room. She sniffled and hiccupped as she sobbed. Rodney stopped just behind her and hesitantly put a hand on her shoulder. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and shivered a little under Rodney's touch. Rodney was at a complete loss about what to do.

"It's, um, okay. Well, not okay, but, what I mean is-" Rodney wasn't sure what he meant. He didn't know how to comfort the kid when she obviously needed to be comforted.

"Look, um, take your time," he offered instead. "I won't leave." The girl took another step and looked back again. Satisfied that Rodney would keep his word, she dashed to a small bed and pulled out what Rodney could only describe as a dragon with four wings and two tails. Rodney really did not want to meet the animal the toy mimicked.

The little girl clutched the toy to her chest and ran back to Rodney. Rodney tried to act annoyed at having to wait as she clutched his hand again. He could hardly be annoyed at her, though.

"So, um, I'm Rodney. But I guess you already knew that, didn't you?" She glanced at him, but didn't reply. "Yeah."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rodney didn't like kids, and that was an understatement. He hadn't even liked kids when he was a kid. They asked stupid questions, wiped their snotty little noses on everything, and were constantly moving and screaming and it annoyed the hell out of Rodney. He considered childhood an unfortunate part of the development cycle.

So why the hell was he sitting in the infirmary with a small child curled up next to him who would not relinquish his hand? At least she was clean now. Carson had made sure of that.

Of course, getting the kid to take a shower had been an ordeal. At first, she refused to let go of Rodney's hand. For a terrifying moment, Rodney thought he might have to wash the girl. He started the water for her and promised he would stand outside the door until she was done. Only after he promised three times did she finally let go. And then, to his horror, she shoved her toy at him. To top it all off, she checked on him over half a dozen times, peeking her small water covered head out of the door every few minutes.

Carson's examination did not take long although the kid flinched away from Carson at first. She wouldn't even let the doctor come near her until Rodney explained in not so friendly words that this was a waste of his very valuable time and he was leaving. That earned him the loss of all feeling in his arm, a cooperative child, and a knowing smile from Carson.

Now she was sleeping, holding her little stuffed animal in one hand and still holding Rodney's hand with the other. Rodney watched the girl sleeping and was surprised to find that he wasn't completely revolted by her presence. Actually, he was kind of fascinated by her, as long as she was asleep.

She yawned and snuggled closer to Rodney. He jerked away in response and almost fell off the narrow hospital bed. Carson chuckled as he approached.

"She's not some wild animal, Rodney. She's not gonna hurt you," he said quietly as he looked down warmly at the sleeping child.

"I know that," Rodney shot back. He had to admit that it wasn't his cleverest retort, but he ignored that fact. He was tired and under a lot of stress from having to deal with the kid.

"What's wrong with her?"

"She's malnourished and dehydrated. She walked out of there herself?" Rodney nodded. "I'm a bit surprised. Based on her test results and what you told me, she was probably in that hole for three or four days. She also has a small infection, but it's nothing an antibiotic won't fix. But most of that's normal considering what she went though. I can't find anything else wrong with her, though. Her CAT scan and EEG were both normal."

"Normal? So why isn't she talking, Carson? That isn't normal," Rodney demanded. The girl stirred a little, but settled back down. Carson sighed and stuffed his hands in his lab coat pockets.

"It's not a medical problem," he explained. "I'd imagine she's in a state of shock. It's a lot for the wee lass to have gone through."

Rodney nodded as he thought about it. The kid was shoved in a hole, heard, if not saw, her mother drained by the Wraith, was completely alone for days, and then dragged from the only place she knew by complete strangers. Rodney wasn't sure if he could speak either after such an ordeal.

"So…"

"I'm recommending she be taken to Doctor Heightmeyer once the dehydration is taken care of. Maybe you should go with her, Rodney, since she's developed quite an attachment to you," Carson said with a chuckle. Rodney could have killed him right there.

"I am not wasting any more of my valuable time with this. You take her," Rodney huffed as he disentangled himself from the girl. She whined in her sleep, rolled over and snuggled closer to her animal. Rodney actually felt a little tear at his heart, but he pushed it away. She was just some stupid kid he'd only known for twelve hours, tops. He was being irrational. A little work would clear his head.

He quickly said a good-bye to Carson, and no, he didn't want to be notified when the girl woke. Sheppard and Elizabeth could figure out the best place for her because it certainly wasn't with Rodney. The last thing he needed was a kid in his lab, messing everything up. He left her in Carson' very capable hands and went to his lab.

Only Rodney found he couldn't concentrate on work when he got to the lab. His mind kept drifting to thoughts of that poor kid in that filthy hole for four days, not knowing if anyone was alive but guessing not because none had come for her. Never knowing if the Wraith were still out there, waiting to feed on her as they had her mother and the rest of her village. So scared she couldn't even move. And she didn't even have the comforting presence of that worn out stuffed animal that she hardly let out of site since reunited with it.

Every time he let his thoughts roam, he cursed himself. The kid was already disrupting his work. He was an important man in Atlantis and he couldn't afford to be distracted by children. Well, technically child, since there was only one kid who was distracting him at the moment.

"McKay!" Rodney jumped and made a sound that wasn't a scream.

"What, Colonel?" he shouted when he turned to find Sheppard standing in the doorway. The colonel leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest as he eyed Rodney. The silence dragged on for longer than Rodney was comfortable with.

"Was there something I could do for you, Colonel, or did you just feel that the doorway was lacking your presence?'

"That's pretty amazing, isn't it?" he asked as if Rodney knew exactly what he was talking about.

"In case you forgot, I can't read minds? What's amazing?" Rodney asked as he returned to the schematics on his laptop. Sheppard pushed away from the doorframe and walked into the lab like he owned the place. It really annoyed Rodney.

"That girl," Sheppard replied as he perched on the edge of Rodney's workbench. "Don't you think that's amazing, McKay? She survived in that hole for a while-"

"Four days."

"What?"

"Carson said she was there for about four days?"

"Four days?"

"Isn't that what I just said? Yes, four days, where she was alone and scared, and yes, I think it's pretty damn amazing. Was there anything else you'd like to share, Sheppard?" Rodney barked. He didn't mean to sound so angry, but thinking about that little girl was doing strange things to Rodney. He didn't know about Sheppard, but he would have gone mad if put in that kid's position. It wasn't the fact that she was alive that amazed Rodney; it was the fact that she wasn't a babbling lunatic that amazed him. Of course, she hadn't said anything since they found her, but still, it was a better outcome than the scenario Rodney could see for himself.

Sheppard just smirked. "Why aren't you in the infirmary?"

"Unlike some people, I actually have work to do."

"Of course, Rodney," Sheppard drawled. Rodney just glared at him, a biting insult ready on his lips when his radio crackled in his ear.

"Rodney, report to the infirmary," Elizabeth said. In the background he heard Carson's distinct voice ordering a sedative. Elizabeth cursed as something in the infirmary crashed to the ground. "Now, Rodney."

Rodney sighed as he stood. He glanced at Sheppard, who was still smirking, and rolled his eyes. He brushed past the pilot, ignoring the creeping smile and silent chuckle. Some days, Rodney really did not like Colonel Sheppard. Today was one of those days.

As Rodney walked down the hall he wished, not for the first time, that he had invested in one of those "I can only please one person per day and today's not your day" stickers before he came to Atlantis. He had half a dozen reports on his desk, three projects that needed to be finished and more than a dozen projects that needed to be started. And that didn't count the projects he gave to Radek. The last thing he needed was to be wasting his time in the infirmary. It was defiantly one of those days.

Rodney's frustration grew as he neared the infirmary. He was an astrophysicist, the smartest man in two galaxies, the only person in Atlantis who could fix all the things that could go wrong in the ten thousand year old city. He wasn't a damn babysitter. Couldn't those idiots handle one kid? Why the hell did they always call him when things didn't go their way? He wasn't Superman for fucks sake. True, he did know quite a bit about a lot of things, but he couldn't fix everything. If living in another galaxy taught him anything, it was that he didn't know _everything_. And truthfully, he knew shit about kids. What the hell did they expect him to do?

The infirmary door opened and Carson stomped out flinging a stream of Gaelic curses. A nurse scrambled out after him, waving bandages at him. Carson grabbed at the bandages and placed them on his hand. He waved the worried nurse away with a "no, I'm fine lass" when he spotted Rodney.

"That little hell-cat bit me, Rodney," he explained as he pulled the bandage away. His hand was leaking blood from a small bit-sized mark. "She woke up in a panic, tore her IV out and hid in a corner. When I tried to get the little bugger, she bit me."

Rodney looked at the wound without curiosity. "I fail to see how pulling me away from important work is going to help you with some snotty girl with a biting problem."

"Rodney, you brought her here, you get her out. Besides, Teyla said she only responded to you," Carson replied sternly. Rodney didn't feel like arguing, especially since the kid bit Carson. So he huffed a little for show, he had a reputation to uphold after all, and went into the infirmary.

The infirmary was in chaos. Nurses were picking up trays of strewn food and medical supplies. One cabinet was torn apart, the contents spilled all over the place. Elizabeth knelt in front of it with her hand out and a smile plastered on her face. Rodney sighed and shook his head. That wasn't any way to get a scared animal – child he quickly corrected himself.

"All right, everyone leave," he announced. People stopped to look at him. Elizabeth stood and frowned.

"Rodney?"

"All right, you heard the man," Carson came to the rescue, "Everyone leave. Let's see if Rodney can't coax the wee lass out."

"You sure you can do this, Rodney?" Elizabeth asked as she stepped away from the cabinet.

Rodney just stared at her. When had they all started to question his every move? Oh yes, the one – single! – time he screwed up!

"Yes, Elizabeth. Believe it or not, I know what I'm doing," he retorted in a half lie. She nodded hesitantly, but filed out with the rest. Carson was the last to leave. He nodded at Rodney as he left, the door shutting behind him.

For some reason, Rodney has always been good with skittish animals. It was a fact that boggled anyone who had ever witnessed it. His sister's cat had crawled under the house once and wouldn't come out for anyone except Rodney. There was a stray dog in the neighborhood who only let Rodney get close enough to pet it. Then there was his roommate's cat, who later became his cat, that would hiss at everyone, including his roommate, from the comfort of Rodney's lap. His sister always wondered, loudly, why Rodney did not pursue veterinary medicine. The answer was simple to Rodney: he loved the puzzle of physics. Plus, he really didn't like blood.

Getting this kid out would be like getting that cat out from under the house. He had to have patience and sit quietly and let her feel comfortable. He could be a patient man when he had to be, despite what everyone else thought. Rodney found the nearest bed and sat. He looked at the created cubbyhole for a long while, but nothing stirred. He glanced at his watch.

"No one else is here, so just come out," he called. At first nothing happened. Then a foot appeared, followed by a second. Then a hand appeared with that toy. Finally the girl poked her head out and looked around the room. Satisfied, she pulled the rest of her body out of the hole she had created. She took a few steps forward, her toy hanging limply from one hand while she looked expectantly at Rodney.

"All right, you're out, I'm leaving." He stood and was immediately rushed by 18 kg of girl and enveloped in a hug.

"What if they come back?" she asked quietly in a tiny voice as she cried on to Rodney's shirt. Rodney had no clue what to do.

"What if who come back?" he asked, slightly annoyed and slightly horrified by the fact that this small child had her arms around him.

"The Wraith," she whispered as if just saying the name could somehow bring them down on her. Rodney's annoyance dissolved. It was a very real fear, one that everyone shared.

"They won't because-" he realized that he didn't have a very good reason as to why the Wraith wouldn't come to Atlantis. "Because I won't let them." It was a weak promise, one that he might not be able to keep, but it was all he had to offer. The girl nodded, her trust in him so overwhelming even through she barely knew him. It was a trust Rodney had not experienced for a long time. He gave up reason and logic and led the girl back to her bed and pulled the blanket around her.

"I'm scared," she admitted.

"Go to sleep."

"Are you going to leave?"

A sigh. "No."

"Promise?"

"Yes. Sleep."

When she was finally asleep, Rodney sighed and ran a hand over his face. What the hell was he getting himself into?


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rodney was tired, hungry, and his back was screaming at him. He had spent three damn nights in that infirmary. And he didn't even get any work done, which pissed him off. Carson forbade his laptop in the infirmary (something about the medical equipment, which was irrational, but Carson was insistent) and the kid flipped out every time he left.

He couldn't really blame her for that, though.

She had nightmares, bad ones, where she woke up screaming or crying or shaking or all of the above. Rodney couldn't even imagine what she must see in her dreams, and he really didn't want to. Whatever it was, she didn't calm down until she was holding his hand, and most nights it took him lying with her, just holding her, before she would go back to sleep. Then she thrashed about in her sleep and would wake half an hour later to repeat the whole process again.

Mornings did not bring relief. She watched everyone as if they might turn into Wraith. She let no one touch her unless Rodney was there and she hid under the covers when he wasn't.

Carson insisted that the girl be taken to Heightmeyer on the fourth morning and Rodney would take her. Without being allowed to get a cup of coffee first. Rodney really despised Carson at that moment and made sure his friend knew about it. Loudly. Carson just smiled and pointed to the door as he sipped at his mug. It was at that moment that Rodney decided Carson would be taking cold showers for a week.

Heightmeyer could join him.

She was the second part of his discomfort. He'd dropped the kid off as told and was headed to his quarters, fuck he was tired, to take a quick cat nap and change clothes when Heightmeyer radioed him.

The girl was curled into a ball on the floor and rocking back and fourth. She whimpered when Heightmeyer touched her and tried to curl into a tighter ball. Rodney had snapped at the psychiatrist as he bent next to the girl.

"What the hell did you do?" he asked Heightmeyer before he turned his full attention to the girl. "All right, I'm back," he said as he touched her back. She flinched away before she recognized his voice. When she saw him, she latched on once more.

Which led to his current situation: sitting on Heightmeyer's couch with the girl tucked firmly next to him while Heightmeyer asked her name for perhaps the 100th time in the last twenty minutes. Rodney's patience was just about up.

"Can you tell me your name, sweetie?" Heightmeyer asked again. The girl yawned, pulled her toy closer and laid her head against Rodney's side. She jumped when Rodney's stomach rumbled. That was the proverbial straw.

"All right, that's it, we're done. This is a waste of time. I'm hungry, she's tired. This session is done," he said as he stood. The girl stumbled to her feet as well and grabbed his hand. Rodney guessed she was done as well. Heightmeyer looked pissed.

"Rodney, she witnessed a tragic event. I need to evaluate her."

Rodney rolled his eyes. "She's not talking! I'm hungry and in need of coffee. We're done."

He opened the door and started to leave, practically dragging the girl behind him.

"Wait, Rodney. At least leave her here."

The girl's grip tightened and she strained to catch up. Rodney paused to let her as he turned to Heightmeyer. "Yes, because that worked so well last time." For a moment, Heightmeyer looked like a fish out of water as she opened and closed her mouth. Rodney turned and continued down the hall, the girl walking next to him.

"Rodney?"

"What?" Rodney yelled before he realized who spoke. It was only the second time the girl spoke to him, so he hadn't recognized her voice at first. When Rodney looked down at her, her eyes were tearing. He took a deep breath and tried again. "What?" he asked more softly.

"Are you mad at me?"

Rodney sighed. "No." It was true. It wasn't her fault. She was just a kid after all, and she just went through something that most adults wouldn't know how to handle. Of course she didn't want to say anything about. And it wasn't her fault Heightmeyer was a moron.

She nodded as they started walking again. Rodney had a thought and stopped.

"What _is_ your name?"

She sniffled as she struggled to not cry. "Chi. And this is Nen," she added as she held up the animal. Rodney raised an eyebrow. She named it?

"I'm hungry. Are you hungry, Chi?"

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A/N: Her name, although spelled like the tea, it is actually the English spelling of the Greek letter _X_. It is pronounced Ki, with a hard k sound.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Okay, so chapters 4 and 5 are really to show that Chi's developing relationships with other people besides Rodney (namely a spiky haired pilot).

Chapter 4 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rodney's eyes felt heavy and his body numb. He couldn't remember where he was. He remembered pawning Chi off on Radek. He remembered going through the Stargate in the Puddlejumper, seated in the co-pilot's chair while Sheppard steered them to a clearing by the village. He remembered Teyla's directions and that stupid drinking ritual they had to partake in, but after that things got a little fuzzy.

"Put pressure there," someone said. Rodney thought it sounded a lot like Ronon. He wondered if the order was directed at him, but he couldn't move to comply. He couldn't feel anything. Oh, God, he couldn't feel anything.

Suddenly, there was pressure and he could feel everything. He screamed at the tremendous pain. It felt like someone was pounding hot nails through his side with a sledgehammer. He reached down to the core of the pain and felt something sticky that could only be blood. His eyes flew open as he brought his hands to his face. Oh, God, he was bleeding. He was going to die. After everything else he'd done, he was going to die on some backwater planet where-

"You are _not_ going to die, Rodney," Sheppard's voice penetrated the cloud of pain and panic. "I am not going to let you die, so calm down. Do you hear me, McKay? We're gonna get you home and Beckett with patch you up. So you are not allowed to die on me."

Something in Sheppard's voice made Rodney shift the focus from his blood covered hands to stare at the roof of the Puddlejumper. Teyla hovered into his field of vision followed by Ronon. He couldn't see Sheppard because, of course, Sheppard had to be flying the thing back to the Stargate. He concentrated on that image when Teyla shifted, bring a fresh round of stake-though-the-side pain to Rodney's body. He brought to mind an image of Sheppard in the pilot's chair, his body tense while his hands were light. He would steer Rodney to safety.

"Is there no way to go faster?" Teyla asked.

"I'm going as fast as I can. Dial the gate."

He screamed again when Ronon took over for Teyla. He vaguely heard the familiar tap of the DHD being dialed and Sheppard's voice, but he couldn't make out the words.

"McKay, stay with us!" someone yelled. Rodney couldn't tell to whom the voice belonged to as everything went fuzzy and then faded to black.

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Rodney came awake slowly. His right side throbbed with a dull pain, which could only mean one of two things: he fell asleep in the lab again or he was in the infirmary and Carson was using the good drugs. He remembered shooting pain and panic, so it must have been the latter.

He slowly cracked open an eye, waiting for the overwhelming deadly bright lights but the infirmary was dimly lit. Satisfied he wouldn't go blind, Rodney opened both eyes and shifted on the bed. The shift sent a sharp pain through his body, which caused Rodney to grimace.

"Easy there, McKay," Sheppard said from Rodney's left side. Rodney titled his head and took in perhaps the most disturbing, perplexing and adorable scene he had ever seen. Sheppard sat in a chair next to the bed with Chi curled up on his lap, her head pillowed against his shoulder, her arms flung around his neck. She clutched Nen's tail in one hand and the rest of the dragon-like animal hung down Sheppard's chest. She breathed easily in her sleep as Sheppard ran a hand up and down her back.

"What happened?" Rodney asked, his voice a little scratchy. Sheppard shifted and handed him a cup of water with a straw. Rodney drank a little then set the cup aside.

"You mocked the nice villagers' ritual and one of them stabbed you. There was a lot of blood and you…passed out. Then this one," he nodded at Chi, "met us in the jumper bay - and just how does she knew where the jumper bay is anyway, Rodney? - saw all the blood, and started to flip out. She touched something, and Rodney, she has the gene. I mean, the whole 'jumper lit up," the colonel said, his face bright was glee.

"How long?"

"Almost two days."

Rodney nodded. It took a moment for the words "touched" and "gene" to seep through Rodney's drug hazed mind. When they finally did click, Rodney's mind went into over drive.

"The ATA gene? Of course the ATA gene," he answered his own question. "What other gene could possibly light up the Puddlejumper? How could she have the gene, through? I don't think she's an Ancient, but then again, we have been fooled by an Ancient before." He gave a pointed look to Sheppard, but the other man just smiled innocently. "And I don't buy that 'innocent kid' thing at-"

"Ah, I see our patient is awake. That's funny, because I was sure Colonel Sheppard agreed to come find me when Rodney woke," Carson's voice rang out. Rodney stopped talking and moved his gaze to find the Scottish doctor standing at the foot of his bed, glaring at Sheppard.

"Sorry, Doc, but, um-"

"Why didn't you tell us she had the gene, Carson?" Rodney interrupted. Carson rolled his eyes as he rounded the bed.

"Because we usually don't test for the ATA gene, Rodney. She's the first person in this galaxy to have it, as far as I know. I took a sample of her DNA. All the tests haven't come back, but it looks like the lass might have a wee bit of Ancient DNA," Carson filled Rodney and Sheppard in as he reached for Rodney's blanket.

"I knew she was an Ancient - what are you doing?" Rodney practically squeaked as he swatted Carson's hands away. Undaunted by Rodney's slaps, Carson continued to pull the blanket aside.

"I thought I would check your wound to make sure it didn't get infected," Carson replied calmly without looking at Rodney. Rodney mouthed "oh" and stilled his hands so Carson could examine him.

"She's not really an Ancient, Rodney. Ya see, the ATA gene is the only gene that survived from our Ancient lineage, and it's rare at that. Genes like Colonel Sheppard and General O'Neill's are an anomaly. But, from what I can tell, that little hellcat has promoters, transcription factors, and a RNA-polymerase that I've never seen before. It makes her gene react much stronger to Ancient technology than even Colonel Sheppard's."

"Ah, English, Carson," Sheppard said, sounding more than a little confused. Carson sighed a little, but he started his explanation over.

"She has genes that work to strengthen the ATA gene, especially when she's near certain Ancient technology, that we don't have. But the DNA we took from Ch-"

"Ow, Carson," Rodney flinched when Carson pushed a little too hard on the sensitive skin near the knife wound.

"Oh, I barely touched ya."

"I bruise easily. Are you sure I'm not still bleeding, because that really hurt. I just want to be sure because, you know, I'm very impo-" Rodney's sentence was cut short when Chi launched herself at him.

"Rodney!" Chi squealed as she threw her arms around Rodney's neck. Rodney hissed and cried out when her knee came close to his stitches. When he was able, he turned to glare at Sheppard. The colonel merely shrugged, a half smile on his face and his arms across his chest as if he were enjoying Rodney's distress.

"You're okay, Rodney. I was afraid you wouldn't be okay," she whispered. She kissed his check and snuggled closer to Rodney.

Rodney felt the heat on his face and knew he must be red. He looked first to Carson and then to Sheppard. Carson smiled, but Sheppard had a hand over his face and was silently laughing. Then Chi shifted, her knee digging painfully in to his side, and Rodney bucked and yelled.

"Wounded here!"

Chi lifted her head. "I'm sorry," she said softly, her lip trembling. "I didn't mean to."

"All right. I think it's time we let Rodney rest," Sheppard finally said. With hardly any effort at all, he lifted Chi off of the bed. She struggled a little, but settled when Sheppard wrapped his arms around her. It made Rodney wonder just what the hell happened while he was unconscious.

"Can I come back tomorrow?"

"Of course, lass. I'm sure Rodney would love the company."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first day in the infirmary wasn't so bad. He had a few visitors: Radek, Elizabeth, and his team. Mostly he drifted in and out of sleep, though. Getting stabbed was exhausting.

The second day, he wasn't as tied and boredom began to set it. Radek came by again and relieved his boredom for a few moments. They even managed to work out a few equations with old fashion pen and paper before Rodney felt tried again. When he woke, Sheppard was sitting next to him again with a plate of food and a wry grin.

Now, Rodney was so far beyond bored that it was painful. After three days in the infirmary, he was ready for his own bed, real food – well, as real as it can get on Atlantis – and his laptop. He really missed his laptop and Carson still wouldn't budge of his "no laptop" policy, which Rodney thought was really moronic. It's not like his equipment could interfere with the Ancient technology anyway. And he doubted it could interfere with the stuff Carson brought from Earth, either.

So with no work and no real visitors to speak of, he was bored out of his skull. And his constant companion, a small seven-year old girl, was not helping. Not only was she not relieving his boredom, her constant chattering was grating on his nervous.

"Uncle Radek let me play with some fun stuff in the labs yesterday," Chi chattered as she sat on the edge of his bed, Nen tucked next to her. "And he says I can call him Uncle Radek, although John – he says I don't have to call him Colonel like everyone else, isn't that neat? – he says that I can't call him uncle because he's not my real uncle. But Uncle Radek's not my real uncle either, and he let's me call him uncle. And we had lots of fun today, but he said I can't touch anything unless he was there or you were there. And John's letting me stay in his quarters, but I like your quarters better. Can I stay with you when you get better because Nen likes your quarters better, too? And Uncle Radek taught me what prime numbers are. He helped me with them, so I know a bunch now. Like 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17," her face screwed up in concentration as she continued to recite her prime numbers. It was at that moment that Sheppard entered the infirmary.

"Take her," Rodney begged. He watched as Sheppard's eyes lit up and his mouth turned up and his smile spread across his entire face.

"43, um…53-" Chi continued. Although Rodney was secretly delighted that Chi was learning her prime numbers, he was ready for someone to take her off his hands.

"Hey Kiddo. Are you bothering Rodney again?" Sheppard asked. Chi stopped talking and turned to face the colonel, a very serious look on her face.

"I was telling Rodney my prime numbers, but I can't remember all of them."

"Is that so?" Sheppard chuckled as he walked forward. "Well, I think I know a few tricks that might help."

"_You_ know about prime numbers?" Chi asked with such skepticism that Rodney could only snort with amusement. Of course, he was still sore from being stabbed and the chuckle brought a fresh round of pain.

"Yes, Chi," Sheppard retorted. Although he said Chi's name, Sheppard was staring straight at Rodney as he answered the girl's question. "I know a few things about prime numbers."

"Really? Will you teach me?" Chi asked, awe creeping in where skepticism used to be. She turned to Rodney, her stupid little stuffed animal hanging from her hands, and smiled brightly at him.

"Can I Rodney?" she asked him ever before Sheppard answered. Her face showed such eagerness and excitement that Rodney found himself nodding before he realized it. He caught Sheppard staring at him with that little half smile gracing his lips, and Rodney stopped nodding.

"I don't care where you go. Just go," he spat out. Chi just giggled and smiled brightly and climbed over Rodney to kiss him on the cheek. Rodney barely had time to be angry over the show of affection before Chi was off the bed. She bounded to Sheppard and took his hand, tugging him out the door.

"Come on. You promised to show me the tricks. Come on John. Rodney said I could go. Come on," she whined as she pulled on John's hand. John looked at Rodney for a little longer with that same half smile before he turned, scoped Chi up, and settled her on his shoulders. As they walked out, Chi giggling and Sheppard laughing, Rodney felt a little tug at his heart. He groaned.

Rodney McKay was falling helplessly and hopelessly in love.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry it took longer to get Ch. 6 up, but there were some problems with this chapter that needed to be tweaked with. I'm happy with it now, though.

Chapter 6 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Rodney, why is the sky blue?" "Waves of blue light are scattered off the particles in the atmosphere." "Rodney, what's an atmosphere?" "It's the gases that surround the planet." "Well, what's a gas?" "It's one of the basic states of elements. They have no fixed shape or volume. Like air." "So how can light scatter off of a gas if we can't see it?" "Do you know what 'quiet' means?" "Rodney, you didn't answer my question." "Yes, because it was stupid and annoying." "Uncle Radek said there no such thing as a 'stupid question'." "Well, he's wrong. I thought I told you that you could stay if you were quiet."

The lab settled into relative silence as Rodney continued to type. He picked up one of the Ancient devices he'd been playing with, but it didn't activate. "Rodney?"

"What?" He looked up at her out stretched hand. "Fine."

Chi smiled as she took the artifact and it light up under her touch. She handed it back to him, a little smirk that she must have picked up from Sheppard gracing her lips.

"Yes yes, you have the gene, congratulations," Rodney said, although there was no bite to his words, as he snatched the device back.

"Don't be jealous, Rodney," Sheppard said. Rodney turned around to see him standing in the doorway and scowled.

"John," Chi cried out as she ran to other man and jumped up on him. Sheppard easily lifted her up.

"I'm not jealous. I can't possibly be jealous because there's nothing to be jealous about. Was there something you wanted or do you just enjoy interrupting my important work?"

"Actually, Weir wanted to see you," Sheppard answered with a smirk.

"And she couldn't use the radio because?" Rodney asked, his hands making wild gestures.

"I was on the way anyway. I though Chi might want to take a ride in the Puddlejumper."

"Yay! Can I, Rodney? Can I?" she asked as she squirmed in Sheppard's arms. The colonel sighed and put her down. She ran to Rodney and pulled on his shirt. "Please, Rodney?"

"Yes, yes, fine, go," Rodney replied as he shut down his laptop. Chi squealed and rushed at Rodney to hug him. Rodney grimaced as he looked down at her. He awkwardly patted her head, but she hardly seemed to notice.

"Thanks, Rodney," she said as she released him and ran back to Sheppard. Rodney looked up and saw Sheppard smiling.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"John, why do you call it a 'Puddlejumper'?" Chi asked as she walked out of the lab.

"Well, that's an interesting story," Sheppard started as he followed.

"Colonel?"

"Yeah, Rodney."

"Um…just…you know…be careful."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"We all think it's in the best interest of the child, Rodney," Elizabeth said firmly as she picked up her tablet.

"Chi. Her name is Chi. And who's 'all'? Because I don't suppose you've asked her, have you?" Rodney shot back, his temper rising. Elizabeth raised an eyebrow as she tapped something on her tablet.

"She's 7, Rodney. She doesn't know what's in her best interest."

"Oh please, Elizabeth, that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Okay, well, maybe not the stupidest thing I've ever heard. There was this time in grad school where a guy I was tutoring thought that the Theory of Relativity was-"

"Rodney, as fascinating as this is, was there a point?" Elizabeth interrupted. Rodney looked at her. He raised his finger to make a point when he remembered that he was pissed.

"My point is that's it's the stupidest thing I've heard today. I think Chi is perfectly capable of making her own decisions. She's a child, not a brain dead moron"

"No one is saying that, Rodney. But Chi needs a stable environment and the Athosians can offer that to her," Kate Heightmeyer said from the doorway.

"And Kima and Selik are wonderfully people, Rodney. I have known them both for many years. They are delighted that Chi is coming live with them," Teyla added. Rodney groaned as he turned around to face the two women in the doorway. He'd forgotten that they were still there.

"Stable environment? Are you forgetting the space vampires that suck the life from you with their hand? I'm sure Sim and Kekkie are fine people but-"

"Kima and Selik," Teyla interrupted.

"Whatever." He turned back to Elizabeth. "She's already been here a month. Don't you think taking her away will, I don't know, do more damage?"

"It's a risk, Rodney, but I think Chi needs a normal life. She needs to be part of a stable family unit with a mother, a father, and children her own age. It's been shown that orphaned children are able to adjust into healthy, productive adults if they are raised in an established household," Heightmeyer explained. Rodney just stared at her for a moment as if she just grew another arm.

"Elizabeth-"

"Atlantis is no place for a child, Rodney. And considering how she reacted when you came back wounded. I agree with Doctor Heightmeyer, and Teyla already found a family willing to take her. Carson said she's well enough to travel, so first thing tomorrow you'll take her to the mainland," Elizabeth said in her "and that's final" voice. Rodney just didn't want to take no for an answer. Despite all his whining, he really did not want to dump Chi off on the mainland.

"But-but, she has the gene."

"Yes, and she is more than welcome to come back to Atlantis when she's 18. If you'll excuse me." Elizabeth moved pasted Rodney, slipped through Teyla and Kate, and was gone.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The closer they got to the mainland, the larger that pit in Rodney's stomach became, and he could hardly speak around the lump in his throat. This whole plan was stupid, not to mention wrong. Wrongwrongwrongwrong. WRONG! This was the worst betrayal ever, and his part in it made him physically sick. The fact that he wouldn't go through this betrayal alone was a cold comfort.

"You didn't have to come, you know?"

Sheppard offered him a quick pained glance before turning his attention back to flying.

"Kima and Selik are my friends, as are you, Rodney," Teyla answered, mistaking the comment for her. Rodney didn't correct her. He'd yelled at her so much during the last nineteen hours and she still came along to offer her support.

"Um…prime?" Chi asked from the back of the Puddlejumper.

"That's right, Chi." Sheppard tried to sound pleased, but Rodney could hear the strain. "Wasn't that good, Rodney?"

"Uh, oh yeah, good job, Chi. Try 193." Rodney added.

Rodney turned in his seat and looked back at the girl. Her face was skewed in concentration as she absently moved Nen's wings back and forth. And since when did he start thinking about that little ratty stuffed toy as Nen and not a ratty stuffed toy. Rodney watched her for a moment as she tried to work the numbers in her head and something very odd happened.

"I can't do this."

"Rodney."

"No, really. I, um, I left an experiment running in the lab, and, um, it's very important, and I have to finish it, so we have to turn back so I can-" He stopped in his ramblings when a hand squeezed his shoulder.

"I know, Rodney."

"Kima and Selik said they would meet us in that clearing over there," Teyla said as she leaned forward and pointed to a spot not too far away. Sheppard let go of Rodney's arm, swallowed, and steered the 'jumper to the indicated clearing. When they landed, Sheppard opened the hatch, but neither him nor Rodney stood for a few moments.

"They are here," Teyla said from the back of the Puddlejumper. Rodney turned around and nodded. He hadn't even heard her leave.

Sheppard rose and gave Rodney a look before joining Teyla in the back. Rodney took a deep breath before he also rose. It was time. Rodney wished he was anywhere but in that 'jumper. He took the few steps to the back of the 'jumper and looked down at Chi. She looked back up at him and beamed.

"Prime."

"What?"

"193. It's a prime number. Right?" she asked, looking a little uncertain. Rodney tried to smile, but he knew he failed when Chi frowned.

"That's right, Kiddo," Sheppard answered for him. "You're getting pretty good at this."

"Um, yeah, good job," Rodney added. Chi's smile returned and she reached out her hand, which Rodney took without much thought.

"Where are we going, Rodney? What are we doing? Can I…" her voice trailed off as they left the 'jumper and she noticed the people standing under a near by tree. She moved behind Rodney, her eyes darting from the people to the sky and back to the people.

"Rodney?" she whispered. "Who are those people?"

"They're, um, they're friends," Rodney replied. He felt like such a bastard as he moved forward, Chi reluctantly following him.

"Chi, this is Kima and Selik," Teyla introduced when they arrived at the tree. Kima dropped to one knee and reached out for Chi.

"We are very happy you are here, Chi," she said. Chi nodded, but looked up at Rodney.

"Can we go home now, Rodney? I don't like it out here. I want to go home"

Rodney could actually hear his heart breaking. He risked a glance to Sheppard, but the colonel just shook his head. For the first time in a very long time, Rodney wanted to break down and cry and scream. He wanted nothing more than to tell these backwater Athosians to get lost, they weren't going to take Chi. He didn't realize this would hurt so much and it both scared and awed him.

"We are going to take you home for a little while, Chi. But I am sure Doctor McKay will visit you when he has time," Selik answered Chi's questions. Chi just looked at Rodney, the tears splashing down her cheeks.

"Rodney. I want to go home with you."

Kima grabbed her arm and pulled her away. Chi, in her shook, let go of Rodney's hand to struggle against the Athosian woman.

"No, I don't want to. Rodney! I want to go with you!"

"Chi, calm down. We will provide you with a wonderful home and family," Kima said as she struggled with the fighting child. Teyla tapped Rodney's arm.

"We should go."

Every molecule of Rodney's body screamed that this was wrong as Teyla led him away. He didn't want to leave her with these strangers. What if she didn't understand? What if she hated him for this? Rodney didn't think he could stand that thought. God, this was so horrible.

"Rodney! Rodney!" Chi shrieked. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do anything wrong." She sobbed. "Don't leave me! Rodney!"

Rodney could feel the tears threatening to fall from his already damp eyes. He looked at Sheppard, who was solemn faced and wiping at his eyes.

"This is stupid," Rodney finally voiced over Chi's screams.

"It is for the best."

"Oh, what part of this is for the best, uh? Obviously, she doesn't want to be here and none of us really want her to go. So forgive me if I don't see where 'best' comes into the picture."

"Please, Rodney, try to see-"

"Chi!"

Rodney spun around. He was sprinting back toward Chi when he saw her face down on the ground, shaking. Sheppard got there first and turned her over.

"She's having a seizer," he said as he held her down. Rodney knelt on the ground beside them.

"We have to get her to Carson." Sheppard just nodded. He passed Chi off to Rodney and was on the way back to the ship before Rodney could say anything else. The scientist gathered the little girl in his arms and stood. He was halfway back to the 'jumper when Kima stepped in front of him. Rodney steeled himself because there was no way in hell he was going to let the woman have Chi now, but she just handed over Nen and smiled.

''May the Ancestors protect your daughter."

"She's not-"

"McKay!" Sheppard shouted from the 'jumper.

"Yeah, um, thanks."


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update this chapter. I think I re-wrote this chapter at least a half dozen times. I just couldn't get the right feel for it. But I think this version has just about everything I wanted to say (except for an Elizabeth scene, but I just couldn't get the flow right if I added one like I wanted to). Anywho, thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and I hope you're still interested in the story even though I took so long. On to the story.

Also, I haven't edited this yet, so any mistakes are mine and I'll fix them as soon as I can. I just wanted to post it.

Chapter 7 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"How the hell did she contract the virus and we didn't? I mean, she's hardly left my side in a month and when she wasn't with me, she was with you or Radek."

"I don't know, Rodney," Sheppard mumbled as he turned in his chair.

"Don't you think it' important, Sheppard. It could be the answer to help cure her. Carson's isolated the virus, but I need to figure out where it came from."

"It's three in the morning. Besides, Carson won't let you use your laptop in the infirmary. Go back to sleep, Rodney."

"I haven't been to sleep yet. I've been thinking."

Sheppard groaned and pulled his blanket tighter around his chest. Rodney sighed and flopped down in his chair, but he couldn't  
settle down. He wasn't really tired anyway, having polished off most of a pot of coffee. He shuffled his feet, sighed heavily, moved his arm, turned in the chair, crossed his legs, and fidgeted. Across the bed, Sheppard huffed and tossed his blanket to the side.

"What, Rodney?"

"I just need to bounce ideas off of someone."

"What about Zelenka?"

"Are you crazy? It's three in the morning, Radek's not awake."

"Lucky him. Is there coffee, at least?"

"Um, in Carson's office. So I've been thinking about how Chi could have caught this virus. Wanna hear my theories?"

"No," Sheppard yelled from Carson's office. "I want to go back to sleep." He returned from the office with a steaming cup of coffee in hand. He returned to his chair, propped his feet on Chi's bed, and sipped at his coffee.

"How can you drink that with cream? It ruins the flavor of coffee. Coffee is naturally black and you should drink it black."

"McKay, did you wake me up to talk about coffee or to talk about Chi?"

"Right. Chi. So I was going back over the day, trying to think of how she could have caught the virus. But I can't remember all the details because, you know, everything happened so fast."

"We've already been through this, Rodney. Kima and Selik were the only ones who saw her fall and they don't remember seeing anything out of the ordinary. Can we go back to sleep now? I'm sure you'll be able to figure this out after a little sleep."

Rodney sighed as he stood. He started to pace around the small room. "I'm missing something. It's right in front of me, damn it, but I just can't see it yet. I just…okay, we left the 'jumper and Chi was upset because she didn't want to leave. Then they took her and we left. What happened in between? What am I missing, damn it?"

"Seriously, McKay, sleep." Rodney shot him a dirty look. Sheppard smirked as he sipped at his coffee. "Okay, okay. Maybe we're just asking the wrong questions, McKay. I mean, why would someone want to infect a seven year-old kid with a deadly virus anyway?"

There was silence as both men thought about it. Rodney's brain ran quickly through likely scenarios.

"The gene," they said at the same time. Rodney snapped his fingers.

"Of course. She's the only one in the galaxy with that sequence Carson was telling us about."

"You were paying attention?"

"Yes, I was paying attention. Anyway, whoever made the virus would have known about her Ancient genes and would have targeted those specific genes. I'll have to ask Carson about the specifics, but I'm pretty sure it's possible. All's they'd need is a delivery system."

"Good, you figured it out. I'm going back to sleep now."

"Wait, wait, Sheppard. I'm on a role now; I've got to work this out. What kind of delivery system? What the hell could they use? It's right there, right in front of me. It has to be something she keeps with her, something no one else would touch. Especially people without the gene. Maybe a necklace or a bracelet or…"

"Nen."

"What? Please Colonel, that's the most stupid…" Rodney paused. "Wait a minute. Kima grabbed it!"

"What?"

"When we were on the ground, Kima took Nen from me. She tried to grab Chi's hand, but got Nen instead! That's got to be it, Sheppard. Carson!" Rodney called over the radio. There was no answer.

"Carson! Carson, get up. This is important! Carson!" he called again.

"Do you know what time it is, Rodney?" came the groggy response.

"I tried to tell him," Sheppard teased. Rodney ignored him as he continued.

"Is it possible for the Ancients to have put a sort of viral bomb in Nen?'

"What are you going on about, Rodney?"

"Nen. Chi's toy. Is it possible that they put some type of device that could, I don't know, release a virus to a certain trigger? Could it be a DNA trigger or something?"

"Rodney…it's four in the morning, man. Can't this wait until tomorrow?" Carson replied. There was a pause. "Say that again?"

Rodney sighed. "How many times do I have to explain this? I'll use small words so you can understand. Is it possible to put a virus in Nen that would only be triggered if someone without the gene touched it? You know, is there some way that the virus could have been, I don't know, dominant until some one without the gene triggered it?"

There was silence.

"Carson?"

"I'm on my way now, Rodney. See if you can't get that little dragon from her so I can run some tests on it. Oh, and try not to touch it too much. I'm not sure what the virus, if your theory is right-"

"My theories are always right."

"-might do to you or Colonel Sheppard," Carson continued as if Rodney hasn't said anything. "As much as I can tell from the sample I took from Chi, it produces a protein that blocks her specific Ancient DNA sequence, but that doesn't mean it can't mutate to effect you both."

"What?" Rodney cried, pulling his hand back from the girl and her stuffed toy. "Mutate? Carson?"

The doctor didn't respond. Rodney glanced over at Sheppard, but the other man had drifted back to sleep sometime during Rodney's conversation with Carson. Rodney sighed and looked back at the sleeping form who cuddled the dragon close to her side. He sighed again.

"If I get some weird alien disease from this, I am so blaming it on Carson and Sheppard," he mumbled as he shifted Ch. He eyed the little toy for a moment as if expecting it to come to life and maul him. When it didn't move, he gently grabbed the tip of the wing and pulled it away. The movement stirred Chi and opened an eye.

"Rodney, why are you taking Nen?" she asked as she rubbed at her eyes. She yawned widely.

"I'm, um, just taking him to Carson, to, um…make sure he's not sick too," Rodney replied. It wasn't really a lie. Carson was going to check if Nen carried the virus.

"Oh. Okay. That's good." With that, Chi closed her eyes. Rodney watched her for a second, pondering how in one month the little girl had come to trust him so much.

"Rodney?"

"Go back to sleep."

"Am I going to die?"

The question floored Rodney. She asked so calmly, without a hint of fear, that it shook Rodney to his very core. "What? No, of course not. Why would you even say that?"

"Grampa got shakes really bad before he died," she replied matter-of-factly. "Just like me."

"Well, you're not going to die. Go to sleep."

He started to leave when Chi sat up. "Rodney?"

"What now?"

"My daddy died before I was born, but I hope he was like you."

For the first time in a very long while, Rodney was speechless. He just walked over to the bed and placed a small, awkward kiss on her forehead. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.

"I'm glad you found me, Rodney. I love you. Good night." Then she lie back down and fell instantly to sleep.

Rodney felt his heart actually swell. It was like that damn Dr. Seuss book about the grinch. Well, Rodney's heart suddenly grew and his life suddenly found new purpose. He would protect this little girl no matter what it took.

"I, um, love you too."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You were right, Rodney, the virus was in Nen. And I must say it was packaged brilliantly. It was completely inert as long as someone with the gene was in contact with it, but when someone without the correct protein markers from the gene touched the toy the virus was activated. I won't bore you with the mechanics of it, but the chain reaction was brilliant."

"What's going to happen to Chi?" Rodney asked, not at all impressed that his theory was right.

"She's going to die."

"What?"

"Isn't there anything you can do, Doc?"

Rodney looked at Carson expectantly. Next to him, he could feel Sheppard tense as the three of them crowded around Carson's computer in his office. The doctor quickly pulled up a file.

"Whoever built this virus knew her biology incredibly well. This is a sophisticated virus."

"So it attends parties in black tie. Just fix it," Rodney spat out. Sheppard tossed him a "shut-the-hell-up" glare. "Sorry."

"I wish I could 'just fix it', Rodney. But this thing is well designed. It is designed to build a protein from only three types of amino acids. The protein's main function is to shut down production of the four major amino acids used in the construction of the ATA protein, the protein that allows people with the ATA gene to interact with Ancient technology."

"So she doesn't have the ATA gene anymore?" Sheppard asked.

"She still has the gene, it just can't encode anymore proteins. But the way this virus blocks the proteins is the problem. The body can't function normally without all twenty amino acids. And two of the four that the virus blocks can't be found in sufficient quantities in any supplement."

"So that's it. We're just going to let her die?" Rodney yelled as he jumped to his feet. "Because that answer sucks Carson. It really sucks." Of course, that's not what he wanted to say. What he wanted to say went something along the lines of "I am not going to sit here and let her die. I made a promise and…and…" and that's as far as he could think. The truth was, Rodney had really started to think of Chi as his kid, his daughter. He wasn't sure what life would be like if she went away because there would be a hole in his soul that would never be able to be repaired. He really didn't want to think about her dieing.

"There's got to be a way, Doc," Sheppard insisted. Rodney glanced up and caught the colonel's eye. Sheppard was feeling the same way.

"I have to work on this," Carson answered. "I'll have to put Chi in a medically induced coma. It should slow her metabolism enough that I can find a cure for her. It's the only way."

"How long?"

"If I work only on this…" he shrugged. "But I have to do it now. Her seizures are only getting worst."

"All right, all right. I'll tell her." Rodney walked out of the office, followed closely by Sheppard and Carson, and made his way to Chi's bed. Her eyes were closed and her small body was trembling.

"Chi?" He sat down on the bed next to her. When he put his hand on her arm, her eyes shot open.

"Can we go home now?"

This was going to be hard. "Um, no, not yet. Um, Carson's going to put you to sleep for a little while so, um, he can fix you." Her eyes were wide with fright and she clenched her hands into fists.

"Is Nen okay?"

Rodney felt more than saw Sheppard smile. "Yep. As a matter of fact, he was telling me how much he missed you. But you don't want Nen to get sick, too, right?"

Chi shook her head. She looked back to Rodney. "Can Nen stay with you while I'm sleeping?"

_I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna cry._ "Of course." He held her hand as Carson came over and injected something into her IV.

"Rodney?" Chi asked, her voice already thick with the medication. "Will you be here when I wake up?"

"Yeah."

"Rodney? Will you be my dad?" And then her hand went in his. Rodney felt the tears welling in his eyes. He closed them to stop the flow.

"Yeah."

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I have my own theory on how the ATA gene works. It's based on my simple knowledge of biochemistry and genetics (I'm an undergrad, not a doctor). I didn't want to go into too much detail because it boggs down the story, but if anyone wants me to explain it to them or talk to me about other theories, feel free to e-mail me.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Yay! It's done. Thanks to everyone who read and double thanks to everyone who reviewed it. Sorry it took so long to get the whole thing posted, but I'm glad you guys were interested all the way through.

Anywho, on to the story.

Epilogue-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Yes yes yes, I know we're a little late, but I found this interesting energy signal and I think it's important."

"Define interesting."

There was a pause. "You don't know what interesting means?"

"Yes, I know the definition of interesting. I meant was why is it interesting and you know it?"

"Well, you should have said that. It's defiantly Ancient and it just might lead to a Zed-PM and - ooh. I just found something. Got to go. McKay out."

Rodney practically tore his earpiece out of his ear and threw it across the control room. He twisted around and pierced John under his blue glare. The other man was barely able to stop the chuckle that escaped even through Rodney was glaring daggers his way.

"This is not funny. Can you believe that?"

"I know. Her name is 'Sheppard-McKay'. How can she just use half of her name? And when did she start calling it a 'Zed-PM' again? I thought I broke her of that habit."

"I meant the way she talked to me? Get a team together, because we're going after them right now," he demanded. John just smiled at him as he leaned back his chair, his hands behind his head.

"Come on, Mer," John teased. Rodney glared even harder, if at all possible. "Relax. This isn't the first time Chi's been off world. I'm sure she's just fine. Besides, she picked up that little speech from you."

"Relax? Oh, yes, I'm supposed to just relax while my daughter is on an alien planet investigating technology that could possibly kill her. Not to mention the life-sucking aliens that are still out there. But, yes, I'll just relax. And she did not pick it up from me."

"Yes she did. I can recall at least a dozen times you said those very words to me. And if I recall correctly, she's our daughter. My name's on that paper, too."

"Yes yes, minor technicality. Send a team, John," Rodney said as he snapped his fingers impatiently. John leaned back in his chair a little bit and smirked.

"Rodney, let's trust our daughter's judgment. I'm sure if there was something wrong, Lorne would have said something. You're just going to have to relax. And if they're not back in half an hour, I'll send a team."

"Half an hour!" Rodney yelled. John propped his feet up on the control panel. "Fine. Half an hour."

Rodney could feel the knot in his stomach twisting as he paced the room. He glanced at his watch, turned in his pacing and glanced at his watch again. Only five minutes had passed. Rodney turned to John, who was having a casual conversation with Chuck, and gritted his teeth.

"What did Chi say when she checked in?" Elizabeth asked as she joined Rodney in the control room.

"Will you tell him to send a team after her?" Rodney asked instead of answering her question. Elizabeth raised an eyebrow and glanced at John.

"John?"

"Yes?"

"Is Chi in any kind of danger? Because Rodney believes that you should send a team after her."

John glanced at his watch. "She's fine Elizabeth. She just checked in a little late, is all. They found some Ancient device and wanted to check it out. I'll have team 7 go out if we don't hear from them in twenty minutes."

"Oh, she checked in late," Elizabeth looked back at Rodney, a tiny smirk on her lips, her eyebrow cocked with amusement. "Because of an Ancient device. How interesting? Inform me if you have to send team 7 out, John. And tell Chi to stop by my office after she gets cleaned up."

"Will do."

"But…but," Rodney stuttered as Elizabeth left. He whipped his head around to set his intense blue gaze on John's back. The other man continued his conversation with Chuck, completely ignoring Rodney in the process. Frustrated, Rodney threw his hands into the air.

"Fine, just ignore me. I'll just be…over there, under that control panel, fixing…that control panel." Deflated, Rodney turned. He plugged his computer into the control panel and pulled up the system diagnostic. With a few quick keystrokes, he had the program running. He sighed in satisfaction and glanced at his watch again…and frowned. Starting the program only took a few minutes and now he had to wait until the program finished before he could fix anything. He growled in frustration, sat up, and hit his head on the bottom of the panel.

"Damn it!" He rubbed the back of his head as he ducked under the panel.

"Watch your head there," John said as he extended a hand. Rodney eyed it before he accepted the help to his feet. John patted Rodney on the back, and if his hand lingered for just a moment Rodney didn't say anything.

"She's fine, Rodney."

"Well, you don't know that. The Wraith could have got her or-"

"Rodney." Rodney looked up as John squeezed his arm. "She's fine." They locked eyes, blue on hazel, and Rodney saw. John was just as worried about Chi as he was.

"So, um, yeah…fine." Rodney's laptop beeped. "Oh, good. It's done." He picked up the computer and let his fingers fly over the screen, mumbling to himself as he did.

"Rodney?"

"Busy now. Go away."

John chuckled. "And you wonder where Chi gets it." Rodney waved an impatient hand at John's departing back and almost lost himself in his work. Every once in a while, he glanced at his watch until the thirty minutes were up.

"Okay, send a team now," he commanded at he stood, careful of his head this time.

"Incoming wormhole," Chuck called out. Rodney almost dropped his computer as he raced for the rail. "It's Chi's ID-"

"Disengage the shield," Rodney and John yelled at the same time. The shield dropped. There was a pause before the event horizon rippled and Lorne stepped through. Rodney almost tripped over John in his rush to the steps. The questions were on the tip of his tongue when Chi casually stepped from the gate and smiled.

"Nice of you to meet me, Dad, but it wasn't necessary," she remarked as she waved to John on the balcony. Rodney could feel his cheeks brighten with anger.

"Oh, don't give me that. You're late. You were supposed to be back half an hour ago. You have a watch. I know you have a watch because I gave it to you. So why, exactly, are you late?"

"It's my fault, Doctor McKay," Lorne replied as he stepped forward. Chi put her hand out.

"No, Colonel. Thank you, but no. It was my fault. I found the source of those weird energy readings, but it turned out to be nothing so I shut it off. Turns out, it was masking something that was pretty cool. I had to check it out. It could have yielded a Zed-PM, but, actually, it was an Ancient EMP, which I accidentally might have turned on. And you're lucky that I had spare parts and that I know how to fix the GDO because we could have been stuck there," she informed him. Rodney really wanted to be mad at her for making him worry, but he was proud of her. Very proud of her.

"You carry spare parts for the GDO around with you?" John asked as he joined them. Rodney and Chi gave him almost identical 'how-stupid-could-you-be-of-course-we-carry-spare-parts" looks.

"Yes."

"M5X-281," Rodney stated. Chi rolled her eyes.

"That wasn't my fault, you know."

John wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a hug. "We're just glad you're safe, kiddo." Chi hugged him back. When he released her, she glared at both of them.

"It wasn't like I was in any danger, you know. Besides, you two are the last people to lecture me about coming home late," she said as she pointed an accusing finger at each of them. John smiled sheepishly while Rodney sputtered.

"We are late for important reasons, not because we, you know, tripped an EMP."

"Dad."

"What?"

"M21-699."

"What?"

"M21-699," Chi repeated. "I want you to think back, Dad, although I know your memory is a bit hazy."

"My memory is just fine," Rodney countered as John snickered.

Chi continued as if she hadn't heard him, although her smile indicated that she had. "M21-699 is just one of many missions where you and John have been late checking in. Do you remember what happened, Dad? Let me remind you. Aunt Lizzie was furious when you guys came through the gate almost an hour late without checking in. She was about to send Lorne after you. Do you remember what your excuse was, Dad? John? You found a really cool device and lost track of time trying to figure it out."

"But that was-"

"M9C-048," Chi said before Rodney could finish his sentence. She smirked when Rodney almost choked on his unfinished sentence.

"But I-"

"MX7-118."

"That was-"

"M81-PQ4."

"I think she has you beat, Rodney," John said with a laugh. He slapped Rodney on the back, and Rodney glared at him. Chi smiled then laughed at the two. Rodney slumped for a moment, but hearing John and Chi's laughter made him smile.

"Yes, fine, I remember all of those planets. I've already told you that my memory is fine, so you don't need to remind me. Just…don't make a habit of this, Chi." Chi leaned over and kissed Rodney's cheek.

"Sorry, Dad. I didn't mean to make you worry. I better go get cleaned up. You know how Uncle Carson gets when you miss a post-mission check-up. Last time, he yelled at me," she smiled, a pure, bright, clean smile that melted Rodney's heart every time. She was half way up the stairs when Rodney remembered the EMP.

"Wait. What about the EMP?" he called as he jogged up the stairs after her. Chi glanced over her shoulder.

"Standard EMP. Wave goes out, anything that produces an electromagnetic field turns off. You taught me this stuff, Dad. You sure your memory isn't fading?" she replied as she continued up the stairs. Rodney rolled his eyes as he followed her.

"Yes, yes, just mock me why don't you. Now tell me about this EMP. Maybe I should go check it out, or send another team to study it more. And what kind of power source did it have? Something that generated that kind of pow-"

"Dad. I'll have a full report on your desk by tomorrow morning, or you could just come to the briefing. Right now, though, I just want to take a shower."

Rodney looked up. They were stopped at Chi's quarters, with his daughter's hand hovering over the blue control crystals. She had a pleading look in her eyes and Rodney could only sigh and nod.

"Fine, I'll be in my lab when you get done," he said, but Chi turned away the second he said fine and was in her room. Hesitantly, Rodney took a step through the open door.

Chi's room was an eclectic mix of tastes. Against one wall was the surfboard John brought for her sixteenth birthday and a few shelves full of Athosian pottery and artifacts. Posters of the periodic table of elements and the electromagnetic spectrum hung above her bed. The ceremonial knives that Ronan gave her for her "coming of age" ceremony hung on her other wall above her desk. Her small desk was littered with paper print outs of experimental data, paper coffee cups, and several framed pictures of her and just about every member of the senior staff. Rodney picked up the one of her and John poised with their surfboards on the white beaches of Maui. It was still his favorite picture of the two and always reminded him of the fun they'd had on that vacation. Well, besides being eaten alive by mosquitoes in the Amazon and that horrible sunburn he got in Kenya.

"That was a fun trip," Chi commented from the bed where she was taking off her shoes. Rodney placed the picture back and set down next to her. He caught sight of Nen and picked him up by his tail.

"This thing tried to kill you."

"We've been over this, Dad," Chi replied as she gently took Nen from him and placed him back on her pillow. "Inanimate objects don't try to do anything. It was my grandfather who tried to kill me. But you and Uncle Carson removed the device and I take my pills everyday and I'm fine. You need to stop worrying about me all the time, Dad."

"Oh yes, right, stop worrying. Because that's going to happen." He patted her on the knee. "I'm going to the lab. I want a full report on that EMP on my desk tomorrow. If we can figure out a way to transport it back here, we might be able to use it against the Wraith or maybe the replicators if they try to attack again."

"Sure, Dad. Of course, neither of those groups have attacked Atlantis in years, but sure, whatever you say."

"It never hurts to error on the side of caution. So, we'll, ah, see you in the mess for dinner?"

"You mean you're going to tear yourself away from work long enough to have dinner with your daughter?" She smiled. "I should be done with everything about eight. I'll meet you and John there, okay? I really need to get cleaned up."

"Oh, of course. Eight." Rodney stood and moved toward the door. He paused a minute before he turned around and hugged Chi. "I'm glad you're safe."

On his way back to he labs, Rodney couldn't help but smile.

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A/N2: And before anyone asks, I might be turning this into a series, but since I'm in school and working so it will be a slow process.

Thanks again for reading and reviewing.


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